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Saturday, December 20, 2014

Education Readings - Reflections/last reading for 2014

By Allan Alach

This will be last list of readings for this
year. I’ll be taking a break
until the end of January, but then will return, fully refreshed, to the fray.

I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New
Year. Forget about education, schooling, GERM, etc and focus on what really
matters - on yourself and those near and dear to you.

A couple of week’s back I posted a link to an article about Finland’s intention to downplay the teaching of
handwriting. Here’s another
perspective.

“But
psychologists and neuroscientists say it is far too soon to declare handwriting
a relic of the past. New evidence suggests that the links between handwriting
and broader educational development run deep.”

Bruce’s comment: An
interesting look at education from Daniel Pink. Selling the love of learning.
Since learning is the inborn default mode you have to wonder where it went!

“In his new book To Sell is Human,
author Daniel Pink reports that education is one of the fastest growing job
categories in the country. And with this growth comes the opportunity to change
the way educators envision their roles and their classrooms. Guided by findings
in educational research and neuroscience, the emphasis on cognitive skills like
computation and memorization is evolving to include less tangible,
non-cognitive skills, like collaboration and improvisation.”

“Learning how to write can be further challenging when a student
lacks confidence in his or her skills as a writer. How we mediate student
perception of writing is as important as teaching the skills. Using diverse
strategies via the writing process, any teacher can ensure that when a student
struggles to write, a different approach is readily available.”

Bruce’s comment:
Using technology with purpose – is technology still oversold and
underused?

“In order to make sure you are using technology the right way, you
must first “start with why”. If your students understand the “why” behind
your technology use, then the class will have a purpose and technological
glitches and issues can be worked through. If they don’t understand the “why” then any
small issue could turn into a major problem.”

Bruce’s comment: An
interesting overview of educational trends for 2015. Worth reading to see how
things might unfold in the US.

“Some exciting advancements are on the horizon for classrooms in
2015. While they sound technical, the biggest changes aren’t going to be driven by an app, a computer program or a new kind of
tablet—they will come from new theories about how to engage both students
and teachers in the classroom.”

Bruce’s comment:
Just read a few of the postings on this blog to remind us of the kind of
childhood we used to have and what the young need today – an
exploratory childhoodbased on play - that some characterise as ‘benign neglect’.

“Just today I really started to piece more things together, to see
the connections to who I was as a child and who I am now as an early childhood
education practitioner. My passion for envisioning, creating
and enhancing spaces for children is most definitely genetic first, then fueled
by my studies and work with children, and set ablaze by 16+ years of
exploring/applying lessons from the Reggio Approach - that whole nature versus
nurture thing.”

“What I find time and time again in my work with people is that the
hardest part of the learning journey or of making changes is the admission of
the inability to do something or of the struggle. Once that step has been taken
the process is usually simple, if not easy. Surrendering to the learning
journey by declaring one’s incompetence is the
doorway to beginning to change.”

Bruce’s comment:
Making things is very serious play – back to the real basics of learning.

“The maker movement celebrates creativity, innovation, and
entrepreneurship through the design and construction of physical objects. Maker
activities may come across as playful, even slightly wacky, explosions of
inventiveness. But in education contexts like schools, museums, libraries, and
after-school programs, research shows that if the invitation to creativity is
accompanied by intentional structure and guidance, maker activities can be
channeled to support deep student learning.”

Passion-based learning in the 21st
century: An interview with Sheryl Nussbaum-Beach

Bruce’s comment:
This article/interview with Sheryl Nussbaum- Beach really resonates with me.Really good advice for teachers who want to equip their students for
the future.

“In this interview, Sheryl describes the “shift” she believes
must take place in teaching and learning practices if elementary and secondary
schools expect to remain relevant in an era when information and communication
technologies will continue to expand exponentially.”

“Because disaffection with the education system reflects a much
deeper societal malaise, it’s imperative that we
first figure out what kind of world we really want: a world populated by
responsible adults who thrive on interdependence and community, or a world of “customers” who
feel dependent on products, services, and authority figures, and don’t take full responsibility for their actions?”

Bruce’s comment: How
to engage learners –
a more important issue thancurrent
obsession testing and a narrow orientated accountability.

“Teaching students who are at risk requires energy, dedication,
talent, and commitment. These exemplary educators consistently and continuously
remain connected and engaged with their students. By keeping their students'
needs, interests, talents, and learning styles in the forefront, these teachers
successfully reach and educate the students who need them most.”

Following on, Bruce draws attention to this ‘oldy
but goody’ blog about creating in early
education an environment for the young to learn through play.

“Young children are programmed by evolution to learn from their
experiences. By the time they arrive at school they have already developed the
ability to walk, talk, draw, ask questions and develop theories about
everything.Teachers need to build on such achievements and do nothing to blunt
the amazing curiosity young children bring with them. Classroom environments,
at all levels, should celebrate students’ interests, questions, and their theories.”

We have lost so much over the past 50 years. We need to return
leadership back to creative teachers.

“In
recent years the myth of the principal as the key to school transformation became
persuasive and as result the principal's status has gone up commensurably.
Crowther questions this myth, believing that the reality has not lived up to
the rhetoric. The so called 'heroic leader' may effect short term change but
all too often this is a temporary transformation.”

Bruce’s comment:
unfortunately we still haven’t escaped the surveillance and audit
culture!

“Recently I read an article by educationalist Andy Hargreaves who
wrote about 'Four Ways' of educational change since the 1960s. His thoughts
reflected many of the thoughts about educational changes that have concerned me
over the years. It is obvious that what 'officially counts' in education is
driven by forces beyond the classroom. The creativity of the 60s that 'emerged'
out of the decade of security following the Second World War, is a good example
and was when my education journey, or story, began.”

Bruce’s comment: It’s a
bit late for Southern Hemisphere teachers to do much about the ideas in the
blog as most schools have closed for the year but it might be worthwhile
reflecting about the ideas about criteria for a quality classroom and maybe
keep in mind for the new year? The only things I would add to the list of
quality learning criteria is that

Artwork represents endpoint of student research - year 5/6

quality classrooms have moved away from the
use of demeaning ability grouping and have ‘reframed’ literacy and numeracy as an integral component of class inquiry
studies.

On re-reading this Iwas struck by how little my basic
beliefs have remained unchanged over the decades – at the
core of my beliefs is the simple idea of the importance of the creative mind
continually responding to experience - continually reshaping itself as it goes.
It is strange how ideas re-emerge as today I wrote a blog which had the same
message –that how the brain ( one’s

1970s booklet

identity) is
unconsciously shaped by the culture it is exposed toand that we ought to be
focussing on the culture we create as teachers rather than being side-tracked
by accountability demands. Earlier todayI
re-discovered a booklet I put togetherin 1970 about the kind of creative
teaching of a group of teachers I workedhad
developed. Once againthis booklet still reflects my current beliefs.It is almost that, over the decades, in the process of coping with
imposed compliance demands, I have been forced to dance to others tunes and in
the process compromised my beliefs.I have the feeling I have come full
circle. Let the others comply if they wish – let’s stick to what we really believe in.